Keep your snowblower handy: Lake-effect snow not over yet

GAYLORD — Following the approximate 8 inches of snow overnight Sunday into Monday, another band of snow is expected Wednesday afternoon into Thursday evening and possibly into the weekend.

According to National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Jeff Lutz, the band of snow overnight Monday stretched well north of Sault Ste. Marie to the Paradise area, west toward East Jordan and Traverse City along the Lake Michigan shoreline, causing 12-15 inches of snow in those areas.

“If this holds on long enough, we should get a good north to northwest flow which usually gives Gaylord pretty good snowfall,” said Lutz.

However, he added, lake effect snow is so fickle that wind direction can change 10 degrees and make a difference on where the snow band hits.

“The snow should be dry and fluffy,” Lutz added.

If the snow continues through the weekend, we can expect significant totals.

NWS reported 31.1 inches of snowfall for November — the average is 21.3 inches.

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“The wintertime patterns that we usually see in late December — early January is set up in late November and early December this year.

Other years with significant snow fall in November have led to above average yearly accumulation.

In 1996-97, 207 inches of snow was recorded in Gaylord (219 inches at the south of Gaylord weather station). November recorded 36.5 inches of snow that year.

In 1995-96, 199 inches of snow was recorded in Gaylord with 63 inches in November.

Yearly average snow fall in Gaylord is 150 inches, the average south of Gaylord is 155 inches.

According to Lutz, the Climate Prediction Center based in Washington D.C. initially predicted the area season would see a cold start and a warm finish.

“There are now rumblings that it’s going to be a cold winter,” Lutz concluded.